


If you change your mind

by ladyofdecember



Category: The Simpsons
Genre: Angst, Angst and Romance, Drama & Romance, F/M, M/M, Mutual Pining, Original Character(s), References to ABBA, Sad with a Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-13 07:05:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13565367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyofdecember/pseuds/ladyofdecember
Summary: Lenny and Carl have always been best friends so why now, this year, is Lenny so over it all? A drabble inspired by the catalog of ABBA if you can believe that.





	1. Take a chance on me

**Author's Note:**

> If you change your mind, I'm the first in line  
> Honey I'm still free  
> Take a chance on me  
> If you need me, let me know, gonna be around  
> If you've got no place to go, if you're feeling down  
> If you're all alone when the pretty birds have flown  
> Honey I'm still free  
> Take a chance on me  
> Gonna do my very best and it ain't no lie  
> If you put me to the test, if you let me try
> 
> \--Take A Chance On Me by ABBA

It was late, Saturday night and the usual crowd was present in the tavern, each enjoying their Duff beer and keeping kind of to themselves tonight.

On one end of the bar, sat two figures, huddled together deep in quiet conversation. They were two of the regulars, friends of the owner it seemed and even closer to one another than to him.

Lenny Leonard was busying himself with picking the fuzz off of his gray slacks while his best friend, one Carl Carlson was (still) discussing his girlfriend's binge shopping.

“Okay, great, we get it!” Lenny finally exploded, taking a hold of his frosty mug of beer and gulping down nearly half the glass.

“Geez, what's got into you?” Carl griped back as he sipped at his own Duff.

“Nothin'! I just... I don't care about your girlfriend's shopping issues!”

“She doesn't have shopping issues, she just... she likes to look nice and buy clothes that are stylish.”

“Well, lah-dee-dah!” Lenny rolled his eyes and finished his beer. He waved the mug at Moe who was helping customers on the other end. “Moe!”

Carl glared at his friend. “Don't be such a jerk, Lenny. I listened to you when you were complaining about work for an hour and a half!”

He turned back forcefully to his friend. “I got stuck in the elevator again! That's the second time in a week!”

Shrugging, the man chugged the rest of his beer as well. “Yeah, well, old man Burns doesn't care about us. He just wants to save a dime.”

Homer came stumbling over from somewhere unseen in the corner, carrying a large amount of lolly-pops. “Here guys! They're on me!” He forcefully handed them each about five of the candies and ran off giggling.

“Uh... “ Lenny eyed the flavored candies on a stick in confusion.

“It's better not to ask.” Carl shrugged, pocketing them for later. 

Moe finally made his way over with not one but two mugs full of beer, already knowing Carl would be up for another. “Here ya go, fellas. Busy night for once! So... how's things?”

“Eh... I got stuck in the elevator again.” Lenny shrugged.

“No kidding!”

Carl chuckled to himself as he eyed a text on his phone. “Oh, well, Nancy got this new-”

“Oh my god!” Lenny cried in frustration. “Would you drop it?!”

Moe eyed the two of them in confusion. “Trouble in paradise?” He asked, pointing at the two men, a smirk already building on his face.

“No!” Carl glared at the older man. “I'm talking about my girlfriend. Lenny here is just jealous!”

“Ugh.” He said in response and got up to head to the restroom.

Moe watched him go and waited until the door was shut completely before turning to the man. “Ya know, I think you're right. I think Lenny is jealous! Maybe ya oughta lay off the bird speak for a while.”

“What? Why?”

“Because... ya really think Lenny wants to hear about your lady friend all the time?”

Carl blinked as he really thought about it and how strange the man had been acting lately. He had his own suspicions in the back of his mind about the reasons he'd been so sour lately but he'd willed them away, assuming they were just hopeful thinking on his part.

Moe smiled wrly at his friend. “Look, I uh... I ain't got no one, right? But if I did... if I had someone as special as what you two got, well, I wouldn't push things too far. I wouldn't go lookin' to cause waves or anythin', ya know?”

Nodding sagely, he took the words in and let them roll over in his mind, or as much as he could, already being three glasses in and feeling a little dizzy.

“Here he comes.” Moe nodded towards the bathroom door before excusing himself to refill customer's glasses.

Carl eyed Lenny as he sat back down on his stool and pulled out his phone. He began drinking his beer down a few gulps at a time. Sensing the man's eyes on him, he cocked an eyebrow. “What?”

“Uh... nothin', nothin' man.” His friend shrugged, feeling at a loss as to what to say now. There seemed to be a tension in the room that wasn't there before, or at least he hadn't been aware of such before.

“Alright, well I gotta go. Sam's gotta get fed.”

“Who's Sam?” Carl asked befuddled after a quick sip of his beer.

“My cat.” Lenny shrugged as he stood up to go, throwing some cash down on the bar.

“Wait, you got a cat?”

“Yeah, I figured I was lonely and needed someone to hang out with so why not a cat, ya know?”

“You're lonely?” The man asked, pinching his brow. 'Since when?' he thought. 'He never mentioned anything to me!' The alcohol was really starting to wear on him, maybe it'd be best if he headed off too. After all, with Lenny leaving, he'd just be left with Homer and god knows where he was now. The place was getting kind of packed and a packed bar was no fun when you were alone.

Lenny shrugged, averting his eyes back towards the exit before coming back to rest unsteadily on Carl's face. Carl took his friend's silence as means to continue. “Why didn't ya tell me? We could have hung out... more.” He shrugged, unsure where any of this new news was coming from.

“Ah, I didn't wanna bug ya. Ya know, you dating that new girl and all. It's no big deal. I gotta go so uh... see ya!” 

Carl watched as the stubbly man meandered to Moe's front door and exited. He seemed to be trying to play it cool as though he didn't want him to worry. He should've known better. Carl would always worry about Lenny, it was one of the certainties of life like the ball dropping on New Year's or the fact that if customers loitered too long and too late in the bar Moe would chase them out with his shotgun.

Carl continued staring at the now closed door to the bar until Homer clapped a hand hard on his back startling him out of his reverie. 

“Carl! Carl! You shoulda seen it! Oh my god! The dart... “ Homer began laughing until tears prickled at his eyes. “The dart went right through his hand!”

He had absolutely no idea what his balding friend was talking about, only slightly inebriated at this point whereas Homer was straight wasted. His dark eyes traveled over to Barney who was getting help from Moe to remove a dart from his right palm. He gave Homer a small smile and watched as he scampered back over to the group.

Studying the now warm mug in his hand in contemplation, Carl wondered what he should do next.

…

Sunday morning came swiftly into view and Carl was just coherent enough to not be able to go back to sleep once the morning rays had begun to hit him directly in the eyes. He grumbled and rolled about, moving to snuggle deeper into his pillow to no avail.

Finally, he sat up and rubbed at his eyes tiredly. He hadn't gotten to bed until after 2:30am, having left the bar shortly after Lenny but then becoming captivated by too much late night television. He'd fallen asleep on his couch only to wake a few hours later having to stumble back towards his bedroom.

Getting up and meandering towards his bathroom, he splashed some cold water onto his face and eyed his reflection in the mirror. His thoughts turned to Nancy and just what she may be up to this weekend. Strangely, she hadn't seemed to want to get together which was why he was even at Moe's on a Saturday night (read: date night) anyway. She was funny like that, sometimes she demanded all of his attention, all weekend long, even if they were just watching TV or going shopping, not necessarily romantic, affectionate time. Then sometimes, he didn't hear from her for a week or longer. He hadn't put too much thought into it really. He was just happy to have met her in the first place. 

But Moe's words were haunting him, gnawing at him, warning him he should check up on his best friend.

After he got dressed, he fished his phone from the nightstand and began texting the man a quick message asking him what he was up to. He was pleasantly surprised to receive a message back right away.

[Lenny: I'm at the temple. 9:06am]

Looking at his phone in surprise, he had to double check the clock on his nightstand. How was the man up so early and already at the Buddhist Center? Hadn't he had just as much to drink as him last night?

Shooting him a text that he'd come join him, Carl grabbed his jacket off the back of one of his chairs and headed out to his car in the garage. Something was bugging him as much as he tried to ignore it.

Lenny was upset that he was dating Nancy and though they'd been together about two months already, he realized he hadn't actually ever asked the man what he thought of her. They'd met at a casual dinner about a month back but hadn't gotten together again since.

Nancy was like that, never one for routine or any strict kind of schedule which was fine with Carl. He was an easy going guy anyway.

As he started his car and began to head over to the temple, Carl wondered just what it was that bugged Lenny about her. Maybe Moe was right? Maybe he truly disliked her because he was jealous. But the thought was so ridiculous, he couldn't let himself believe it even for a single minute.

No, never in his wildest dreams could the man return even the simplest of feelings he'd long held for him. Carl Carlson was doomed to forever live in a world where he had met the perfect man, his best friend only to find him just out of reach at every turn.

Why would Lenny want to be with someone like him? What did he have to offer? 

Lenny was great, in every way imaginable. He'd even been married before though it hadn't really worked out but still. Carl had never had a relationship last for more than six months. He tried not to think too hard about the implications of that.

As he pulled up to the temple and parked, he took the time to take a few deep breaths in and out. He had to smooth over this issue with his best friend. He couldn't stand him being upset with him. Whatever he needed to do, he'd do it.

Lenny was the most important person in the world to him. He had to make things normal again, for the sake of their relationship.


	2. I'm nothin' special

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm nothing special  
> In fact I'm a bit of a bore...  
> If I tell a joke  
> You've probably heard it before...  
> \--Thank You for the Music by ABBA

Walking into the Buddhist Center on an early Sunday morning like this meant two things; one: the place was practically deserted and two: the only sounds that could be heard were the birds chirping in the trees and their little bird houses and the rushing water from the nearby stream.

Carl spotted Lenny almost immediately, clothed in his normal meditation garb, eyes shut as he sat focused on his breathing.

He crept closer to him, not wanting to startle him too much but desperate to talk to his friend. Every step closer felt like a vice closing in on his heart and as he approached, he began to panic with just what he would say. Finally, he altered his path and quickly darted away into one of the side gardens.

Carl took a few deep breaths, feeling very alarmed suddenly and not entirely sure as to why. His mouth was dry, his palms sweaty, all at the mere idea of discussing Lenny's feelings about Nancy? This was weird.

Of course, deep down, Carl knew exactly why he was feeling the way he was. He had long had feelings for his best friend and to be honest, he'd kind of been aware of Lenny's own feelings as well. It wasn't something they talked about, after all, it was a conversation best left unsaid... right?

It wasn't as though he didn't enjoy the man's company or love hearing his laugh. It wasn't like he didn't want to spend the majority of the next few years doing the same thing they'd always done: drinking after work together, going out to eat, working their day shifts at the plant, etc. No, that was all fine, perfect actually. It was, in Carl's mind, the picture perfect life.

No, it was all the rest of the unpleasantness that he couldn't stand. The idea that things could change suddenly with just one conversation about what was really behind all the anger and volatility. Carl just wasn't ready for that.

He peaked around the hedges he was using to hide behind to see Lenny slowly getting up and collecting his sandals so he could leave. It was now or never.

Carl took a deep breath and hurried to catch up with his friend.

…

“Lenny! Sorry, I uh... sorry, I'm late.” Carl smiled sheepishly, staring into the other man's brown eyes.

He shrugged, looking pretty impassive. “Eh, no big deal. I figure I'll head home now. Maybe just... get some lunch.”

“Oh, well, hey now, we can still hang out, right?”

“Are you sure? Don't you want to go see Nancy?”

Carl couldn't help but pick up on the bitterness of his tone but glossed over it. He shrugged, cheerful smile on his face. “Nah. I mean... I haven't heard from her in days. To be honest, I'm probably gonna break it off with her anyway.”

“What? Why?” Lenny asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

“Oh, you know, we don't have a lot in common. Also... uh, she goes these long stretches of time without reaching out to me. Kinda ignores my texts too.” He shrugged, trying to play it off as no big deal. He really didn't feel like discussing his romantic life with the man for obvious reasons.

Lenny sighed and seemed to let his hostility melt a bit. “Look, I'm sorry I was kinda a jerk.”

“You weren't!”

“I was. And... well, it's because maybe I was a little jealous. I get it. I'm not a fun guy to hang out with. And yeah, maybe I'm not the brightest. It's not a big deal if you wanna hang out with your... “ He struggled to get out the next few words, averting his gaze completely. “Your girlfriend... really. I... I get it.”

“Aw, c'mon! Don't be like that!” Carl said with a heavy sigh, wanting nothing more than to just wipe that frown off his scruffy face. A chirping sound emitted from his phone and he fished it out of his pocket to check his messages as Lenny continued on.

“No, I'm sorry, Carl. I shouldn't be monopolizing your time like I do. I mean... you're a busy guy, other people want your attention too. And... you don't wanna spend it with me.” Lenny shrugged, half turning to go.

“Well... you don't have to worry about me not having enough time anymore anyway.” 

“What? Why not?”

Carl smirked wryly as he pocketed his phone once more. “Nancy just broke up with me.”

“Oh... “

The two stared at one another quietly for a moment. It seemed as though a barrier had been lifted from their path, a sudden opening, a way through their recent hurdles and burdens.

“Tell ya what, why don't you let me take you out to Luigi's for a nice dinner? Spaghetti and meatballs, just like ya like?” Carl said, slapping the man on the arm playfully as he grinned, honestly completely forgetting about the woman in his life and her hurtful breakup text.

At this suggestion, Lenny's eyes suddenly seemed to light up as he was all smiles again. “Maybe some nice wine?”

“Sure!”

Lenny seemed to hesitate for a moment as if considering declining the offer, the probability of which was too low to actually compute. “Oh, Carl! I'd love to!” He finally agreed, linking his arm with the man's offered one as they set out down the street as if forgetting it was only about 11am.

No matter, they'd probably just end up at Moe's until then anyway. Planning wasn't really their forte.


	3. I have a dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moe and Waylon have a little flirtacious thing going on in this story just like in my others. ;)
> 
> \---
> 
> I have a dream, a song to sing  
> To help me cope with anything  
> If you see the wonder of a fairy tale  
> You can take the future even if you fail  
> I believe in angels
> 
> Something good in everything I see  
> I believe in angels  
> When I know the time is right for me  
> I'll cross the stream, I have a dream  
> \--I Have A Dream by ABBA

Moe sneezed loudly, startling nearly the whole bar for about the sixth time that day. He wiped his nose with a tissue, aggravated at the way it made his irritated skin burn.

Beside him opposite the bar sat one of his childhood friends and ever loyal customers, Lenny Leonard. “Geez Moe, what are ya, sick?” He asked, downing his mug of Duff.

“No, I ain't sick!” The grumpy, pepper haired bartender grumbled. “I just got allergies, alright?!” He grabbed the glass in front of the man and began filling it with more beer. He glanced around the bar at the various regulars who were all chattering amongst themselves. They were all familiar faces, all except for one.

“Hey, where's your better half?” Moe asked his friend with a smirk.

Lenny sipped at his beer. “Where's yours?” He fired right back, smirking as well.

That got the older man to straighten up slightly, eyes nervously darting here and there at the mention of his recent schoolboy-like crush. “Oh, uh, Waylon? He's uh... he's busy tonight.”

“Uh-huh.”

“He is! He, uh... you know, he's got that fan club thing goin' on and all and... hey!” Moe angrily pointed a finger in his friend's face. “Hey, don't change the subject! We're talkin' about you here!” He really didn't feel like laying out all his complicated and deeply emotional thoughts on the subject of one Waylon Smithers in the middle of his bar.

Lenny laughed and downed more of his Duff. “I'm sure he'll be here soon. Ol' Burnsy wanted him to stay a little later for some paperwork at the plant.”

It could have been coincidence that Carl Carlson chose just that moment to stroll through the tavern's door but Lenny preferred to see the world for the magical place that it was and so he chose to believe it was an indication of just how in sync the two of them were. He spun on his bar stool to give him a big, bright smile only to be met with a gloomy and exhausted look in return.

Carl slumped into the seat beside his friend, face pushed into his palms as he groaned in irritation. 

“Long day?” Moe asked as he began polishing a glass for the man.

“The longest. A beer please?” Carl sat up, facing his two friends.

Lenny beamed at the man. “Well, Carl, tell us all about it. Did Burnsy make you mop up the restrooms in sector 4-G or something? I heard a man died in there at lunch!”

“No, no. Nothin' like that. I dunno... just a lot of dumb corporate stuff.” He stared down into the mug of Duff placed before him.

Moe wandered off to help refill some of the other guys' mugs as Lenny clapped his friend on the shoulder. “Well, at least you're off now, right?”

Carl didn't answer, instead he grabbed the mug and downed it all in one gulp, intent on getting shitfaced.

…

Carl laid in bed that night, unable to get to sleep. He'd been tossing and turning for who knows how long at this point and he had work in the morning. He really needed to get to sleep.

Facing his alarm clock on the bedside table, the angry, red numbers shouted 3:33AM at him. He sighed and pushed his face into the soft pillowcase beneath him.

His thoughts were tormenting him. Over and over, he was picturing scenes of him and Lenny together, scenes of them cuddling on the couch while they watched T.V., scenes of them hugging, of making out, all of which were imaginary of course, except those that weren't.

He sat up and angrily turned on his lamp. Pushing his face into his hands, he wondered if he were maybe simply going crazy. All of a sudden, it was like these feelings were too much for him to handle. 

All his life, he'd had them, well nearly. Just after the summer they'd turned seventeen, Carl Carlson had noticed something different going on between the high school seniors. They spent all their time together and barely looked at other girls their age, not that they cared about either of them anyway.

But, it wasn't that or the fact that he could talk to the guy about anything. It was the fact that everything seemed so easy with Lenny and the realization that he didn't care that he didn't have many other friends other than him didn't seem to bother Carl at all.

Carl recalled what seemed like a lifetime of feeling this way towards his best friend but he'd always just shoved the thoughts of doing anything about it away. If Lenny felt the same way, well, he wasn't very good at expressing it.

What was he doing? He shook his head and turned off the lamp, intent on getting back to sleep. It didn't matter how he felt or how Lenny felt, any of it! He wasn't going to do anything about it and neither was Lenny so he should just forget about it.

What were they gonna do? Run off and get married? Ha! And then what?

It was ridiculous and Carl refused to entertain the thought process. He wasn't gay and neither was Lenny. 

He shut his eyes and succumbed to the darkness and to sleep once more.

...

It had been a few days now since Lenny had first suspected something was up with his best friend. The man had barely given him a passing glance at work, he'd been ducking out come lunch time and even missing drinks at Moe's. The man had tried texting him and Carl had replied here and there but always hours upon hours afterward. It was almost like the man was snubbing him!

But then again, that was crazy, right? Of course Carl wasn't avoiding him or intentionally snubbing him. He was his best friend and best friends didn't do that!

If he were being really honest with himself, he'd point out that they had long since blurred the lines between friend and... something else entirely.

Lenny sighed as he closed his metal lunch box and stared down at his console. Carl had once again disappeared prior to the lunch bell and so Lenny had been left to eat alone.

Homer chose that exact moment to come giggling into his workstation, pulling him completely from his internal thoughts of woe. “Lenny! Lenny, Lenny, Lenny! You have to come see this! There's a squirrel in the air vents running around. It's a squirrel!”

Spinning around in his chair to face his friend, Lenny tried to manage a smile. “Aw, gee, Homer, that sounds funny and all, but I'm not really in the mood.”

“Where's Carl?”

“I dunno. Why would I know that?”

The bald man rolled his eyes as he scoffed. “Because you do everything together! I bet you even shower together!” He laughed at what he thought was a ridiculous thought, completely missing Lenny's whole expression and reaction to the statement.

“Well, come on! Let's go eat!” Homer said as he recovered and began basically dragging the man out of the station.

As they headed down the halls to their break area, Lenny wondered just where it was Carl was going off to each day. He wondered why the man hadn't given him any heads up about being unavailable for lunch. However, just as soon as the thoughts had entered his mind, he shook himself free of them.

The man was his own man and he certainly didn't owe Lenny any explanations. They were both free to eat with whoever they'd like, do what they want, etc.

The idea of Carl going to have lunch with some new girlfriend stopped him cold in his tracks. He pinched his brows together as a painful, icy grip took hold over his heart beating in his chest.

“C'mon!” An impatient Homer grabbed a hold of his arm once more, dragging him further down to the lunch room. Clearly he was excited for lunch.

…

“So I said to Marge, no, those are your socks stinking up the freezer! And then I high-tailed it outta there.” Homer chuckled, chomping down on his sub sandwich.

Lenny had barely been listening, uninterested in his own lunch as it was nothing more than PB & J. He'd been looking forward to ordering chinese with Carl but of course, he'd been abandoned yet again.

“Hey! Why don't you and Carl ever come over for dinner? Marge makes great pork chops!”

Suddenly at red alert at the mention of his friend's name, Lenny blinked and tuned back in to reality. “Huh? Oh, uh... well, you know I haven't really been eating too much meat lately.”

“What?! Why not?” 

Lenny shrugged, closing his lunchbox back up disinterestedly. “I dunno. Thought I'd try being a vegetarian. It's going well.”

Homer sputtered and internally blamed Lisa though he didn't voice his concerns. Finishing his sandwich, he noticed how quiet his friend was being and decided to find out why. “Hey. Why are you so quiet?”

“I'm a little concerned about Carl.” The man glanced around the cafeteria area, wondering if the man might walk in at that opportune moment. They often had weird coincidences happen like that. Not this time however.

Lenny sighed. “I dunno. It's just... he's not really speaking to me right now. It's weird, it's like... like I did somethin', ya know?”

“Marge does that to me whenever I screw up. What'd ya do?”

“Nothin'! I mean... I don't think I did nothin'.”

Homer grew serious as he realized the pain his friend must be going through. Being ignored was the worst thing in the world. “That Carl Carlson needs to treat you better! You don't deserve this! To be sitting here with a sad, PB & J sandwich, sitting with a guy who doesn't even like you that much, a “friend”... “ He sputtered indignantly as he referred to himself.

Lenny blinked at him. “Wha... we're not friends?”

Homer continued on as if he hadn't heard the man. “And to think, after all you've done for that man! I swear, he just doesn't realize what he has!”

“Maybe... “

“No, seriously! Lenny, you're a great guy and you deserve someone that knows that and treats you better!”

Lenny sat back in his chair, letting the words sink in. Carl had been acting odd for a while now. He'd been pulling away from him and it was obvious now if it hadn't been before. He was pulling away because Lenny and him had been getting too close. They had spent many a night together on his couch watching T.V. And sure, maybe there were a few times he stayed over and they fell asleep together. 

Then there was that night they spent swimming.

Lenny shook off the thought. It wasn't his fault if he wanted to be close to him, they were friends! If Carl had some sort of issue all of a sudden, well, that was his problem!

“You're right, Homer! I don't have to take this!”

“Yeah! Damn straight! What were we talking about?”

Homer had apparently already began his chocolate pudding dessert and had forgotten probably the past five minutes.

“I'm going to tell that man just how I feel the next time I see him.” Lenny said, smirking. “Exactly what I think.”


	4. I try to reach for you but you have closed your mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where are those happy days?  
> They seem so hard to find  
> I try to reach for you  
> But you have closed your mind
> 
> Whatever happened to our love?  
> I wish I understood  
> It used to be so nice  
> It used to be so good
> 
> So when you're near me  
> Darling can't you hear me?  
> S.O.S  
> The love you gave me  
> Nothing else can save me  
> S.O.S
> 
> When you're gone  
> How can I even try to go on?  
> When you're gone  
> Though I try, how can I carry on?  
> \--SOS by ABBA

After an arduous day spent working harder than he'd honestly ever put in at the plant, Carl returned home to an empty house, completely darkened, seeming to echo the way he felt inside. As he turned on each light one by one, hoping it would help to lighten his mood, he let his thoughts turn to just what Lenny was up to right now.

'Probably at Moe's. Ehh... who needs him?' He thought gloomily as he sunk down onto his couch. He clicked on the T.V. only to be greeted with the numerous family sitcoms that usually littered the prime time slots on networks. He flipped unhappily from one channel to the next before giving up and shutting it off completely.

Carl began heating up a T.V. dinner in the microwave, staring at the rotating of the plastic tray and inevitably his own depressed reflection in the glass of the window. 

As he sat down and immediately began to burn his mouth on the hot cheese of the macaroni, he contemplated giving Homer a call to see if he'd be up for a visit. 'Nah... he's probably at Moe's too. That's where everyone is.' 

He began to slump a little in his chair at the realization that the majority of his friends were Lenny's too and even more so when he recalled having a distaste for most of them. He had a distaste for most people honestly... everyone except Lenny. He was the only person ever worth being around. Why had he gotten so mad over Lenny's own wanting to hang out only with him? It was the same thing, wasn't it? What were they even arguing about?

Carl pushed aside the tray of mac n' cheese and angrily glared at his kitchen wall. It wasn't fair. Why did the man have to go and try to change things after all these years? What they had was perfect! Why ruin it?

The man had begun to seem clingy ever since the start of the year and honestly, he hadn't understood why. Sure, he enjoyed spending time with Lenny and yes, they always had a good time no matter what they were doing. There was no problem with it. The only problem was...

Carl sighed. He just didn't like all the talk about them behind their back. They weren't gay and he didn't understand why people felt the incessant need to talk about how they were. He hated it honestly it made him want to recoil away into the privacy of his own home, far away from other's prying eyes.

He'd been missing from several events at work and at the taven the last week or so. He hadn't been actively avoiding his friend, just... avoiding everything and everyone really. If he knew Lenny at all, and he did actually, very well, he knew that his actions had most likely hurt the man's feelings, as innocuous as he'd thought it'd been.

With a sigh, Carl dug into his food once more, resolved to finish it and just go to bed, ready to greet the day renewed in the morning. He'd figure out how to fix all this. He just had to.

…

Struggling with his cup of instant noodles. Lenny angrily pulled at the paper lid harshly resulting in some of the seasoning powder flying up to hit him in the eye, his good eye!

“AGH!” Lenny grumbled in pain as he palmed at his left eye. He already wasn't in a good mood and now his eye was filled with MSG!

“Uh... you alright there, Len?” Carl's voice sounded from somewhere behind him. He was too busy clutching his eyes shut in pain to see just where the man was.

“I'm fine! Why do you care anyway?” Turning about and cracking his other eye open, he took in the image of the man. He was dressed neatly, shirt pressed, tie on. He was even wearing a suit jacket!

'Humph, probably wearing that to impress some chick tonight on a date!' Lenny thought, bitterly.

Carl frowned at the man. “Lenny, look, lemme help ya with that! I'll help you to the eye wash station!” He'd been a jerk, going AWOL like he had. He could tell the man was mad at him but he had to fix things and apologize. 

“Oh, you know Old Man Burns turned those off! They don't work anymore! I'd be better sticking my head under a faucet.”

“Well, lemme help ya with that, then!” Carl reached towards him, just wanting to try to appease the man only to have him snatch his arm out of his grip.

“Just leave me alone!”

He watched sullenly as Lenny vacated the break room, leaving him alone to his thoughts.

…

“Now listen to me, I'm not gonna take 'no' for an answer!” Carl began as he marched in to Lenny's small workstation. He found him clutching his eye as he looked into a hand mirror gloomily.

Lenny sighed in aggravation and pushed it away. Spinning around in his chair to face his friend, the agitation was clear across his face. “What do ya want, Carl?”

“I just... I'm sorry. I know I kinda flaked out on you this past week-”

“Yeah! And you ignored my texts!” Lenny interrupted.

“True. I mean, I didn't ignore them. I just... I didn't get back to you.”

“You stopped replying entirely.”

“Well... “ Carl shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. He didn't know where to go with this. What was he supposed to say? You're too clingy and I don't want people to think we're gay?

Lenny stood up, rubbing at his irritated eye until he was able to blink a few times and see clearly again. “You're a jerk, Carl Carlson! And I deserve better!” He poked him in the chest.

It was ridiculous but for some reason, this had always set the man off. He felt his temper rising. “Don't poke me in the chest, Len.”

“Like this?” He smirked and stabbed him hard in the chest with his pointer finger.

“Lenny. Do not. Poke. Your supervisor. In the chest!” 

It took less than 1.5 seconds for the two to end up in an all out wrestling match/brawl. Neither party was ever really able to overcome their stubbornness which usually led to events like this.

As they fought on the floor of the nuclear power plant, a few passersby ducked their head in at the commotion before carrying on. It was simply a normal occurrence for the sector. 

Homer at one point ventured in along with some other guys and began to chant excitedly at them. “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

Eventually, the two broke apart, both panting, both men's clothes slightly wrinkled and some bits torn. They glared at each other from opposite ends of the tiny room.

“You're such a jerk!” Carl snarled.

“You're the jerk!” Lenny retorted.

“Aw, it's over.” Homer sighed, disappointed.

Lenny stepped closer to him, face angry as ever and the two looked as though they may begin to fight all over again. “Why do you have to ignore me the way you do? What? Am I not important enough to have lunch with anymore?!”

“No! That's not it at all!”

“Well, what is it?!”

Carl sputtered, unsure what to say. They were practically alone now, save for Homer still standing in the doorway, eating from a bag of chips.

“You're... you're so weird, ya know?” He tried. Probably not the best thing to say.

Lenny glared. “What? What does that mean?!”

“You're too clingy! Everyone thinks we're gay!” He finally spat out with it, leaving not one, not two but all three of them looking bewildered at the statement. Carl couldn't believe it. He'd actually said it! That was probably a mistake.

Homer burst out laughing suddenly before choking a bit on his chips.

Lenny just stared at him, mouth agape. Carl wished he'd say something.

Finally, he did. “Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore.”

He marched straight out of the area and disappeared down the hall, leaving Carl to stare awkwardly at the empty console seat.

Homer recovered from his coughing fit and patted the man on the back. “Wow, that was rough.”

“Yeah.”

“I gotta start drinking soda or something with those.”


	5. Why, why did I ever let you go?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one look and I can hear a bell ring  
> One more look and I forget everything
> 
> Mamma mia, here I go again  
> My my, how can I resist you?  
> Mamma mia, does it show again  
> My my, just how much I've missed you?
> 
> Yes, I've been brokenhearted  
> Blue since the day we parted  
> Why, why did I ever let you go?  
> Mamma mia, now I really know  
> My my, I could never let you go  
> \--Mamma Mia by ABBA

Nine Years Ago

Sitting in the middle of a sizable crowd in the Springfield Town Square, Lenny was currently on his fifth beer of the night. He glanced at Carl who was sat beside him as they awaited the town's fireworks show to begin. 

“Ready for another?” The man asked him, ready to grab a Duff from the cooler he'd brought. They'd also packed lots of snacks, planning on spending basically all night out for the festivities. 

“Nah, I'm good for now I think. Might have to find my way to the porta potties soon though.” Lenny chuckled, feeling pretty buzzed already.

In the distance, a band was playing various cover songs and some teens had gotten up to dance in front of the mini stage. There was a light breeze blowing through the trees, keeping the normal July heat from being too obnoxious and overbearing. The rapidly setting sun also helped.

Sinking back in his forest green camping chair, Lenny shut his eyes and just listened to the music float through the air, enjoying their day together. His thoughts drifted to his best friend beside him and how lucky he was to be able to not only work beside him at the plant but also share in a multitude of similar interests and hobbies. They were so alike and they got on so well, it was really something.

Carl's light shoving of his shoulder suddenly brought him out of his sleepy-like state. “Hey... hey, check out Quimby! He thinks he's bein' sneaky with that chick he's with.” He pointed over at the Mayor who was quietly chatting with the current Miss Springfield. 

Lenny followed his gaze and found the woman giggling as the man whispered in her ear. He rolled his eyes, a smirk playing across his face. “This town, man.”

Finishing off his bottle neck beer, Carl set it aside on the grass below and reached in their mini cooler for another. He cracked it open and took a hearty swig. Turning back to his best friend, he took in the man's slumped posture. With a knowing smirk, he bumped shoulders with him. “Hey man, already drunk? The sun isn't even down yet!”

“Shut up!” Lenny playfully shoved at him albeit not that hard. He grinned at his friend. “This is great, ya know? Just hanging out like this? Wish we could do it more.”

Carl laughed and downed more of his beer. “We hang out like every day! What do you mean?”

“Oh yeah!” Lenny joined him in laughter and motioned for another beer from the cooler as the sun began to sink beneath the horizon.

Hours later and darkness had fallen upon the town. Everyone was gearing up for the fireworks show that was about to start. Even the band had taken a break in anticipation. 

Both men had exhausted their beer supply, their empty cooler open and overturned on to the grass next to a pile of bottles, the two of them enjoying just watching the stars up above.

“I think that one's Sagittarius.” Carl said knowingly, pointing at the specific spot in the sky. 

Lenny let his head roll to the side to glance at him and smiled. “You're so smart, Carl.”

Chuckling in response, he shrugged the compliment off. “Yeah, yeah. Not really. Oh, look, that's Cassiopeia right over there!”

But Lenny didn't bother looking, instead, he kept his gaze hyper-focused on his best friend. He was feeling very warm, despite the night's cooling temperatures, like he was so light and so happy inside that he might float away. He gripped at the arm rests of the chair just in case.

“Carl... “ he mumbled, still staring at the man, though when he turned to look at him, Lenny quickly turned his gaze to the starry sky. “I... I really like you. You're my best friend.”

The man nodded at him with a smile and then turned back to the sky above. “You're my best friend too, man.”

“No, I mean... I really like this.”

It wasn't any big revelation to Carl Carlson that his friend Lenny seemed to be indicating he had feelings for him. After all, they had always sort of bounced around the issue, kind of doing a back and forth kind of thing. They'd always been close, even since they were kids, prompting others to question their relationship. They had always just rolled their eyes at other's accusations, citing they were just jealous and unworthy to hang out with the likes of them.

They were close, that was it. They were friends, best friends and everyone else was jealous.

Carl glanced at his friend again, feeling drunk and happy and so very alive in the present moment. When Lenny turned to meet his gaze as well and they locked eyes, he felt like for the first time in his life, he was actually alive.

Cue the fireworks shooting off up above them and the band starting up with loud, booming, patriotic music.

The two kept their gaze fixed on one another however and at some point someone, who knows who, leaned in and kissed the other. With the crescendo of the music echoing all around them and the only light being of the colorful fireworks above, the two men kissed each other with the hoppy taste of beer on their tongues.

But, it would be many years before either would dare to comment on the night and the repercussions of such an event.

…

Sitting in the break room at the plant, Lenny was scrolling through his phone, a cup of steaming hot coffee sitting on the table in front of him. It was early, ridiculously early, as the man had barely slept the night before, feeling like some sort of zombie. Since he'd awoken so early, he'd decided to come to work for lack of anything better to do.

Carl's words kept ringing in his mind, a painful reminder of just how much time he'd wasted with the man, not that they were in any kind of relationship or anything. Lenny knew very well what his place was with one Carl Carlson.

They were friends, good friends, always together and that's just how it was. That's how everyone in town saw it. And yes, maybe Lenny was a bit obsessive with the man, and yes, maybe sometimes he overdid it with his compliments about the man or the amount of time he spent talking about him to other people.

No, Lenny now understood how it was and he was determined to change it no matter what. He had to stop kidding himself. Carl didn't love him, at least, not in the way he loved him.

Scrolling through various posts on his phone, the man stumbled upon a daily horoscope. Shrugging, he decided to click on it and read just what was in store for him for the day.

“Hmm... “ Lenny hummed enthusiastically as he thumbed down his news feed on his phone. 'YOUR WEEKEND LOVE HOROSCOPE FOR APRIL 14-15' he read before thumbing down farther to his zodiac sign.

'Go about your business quietly even though you can feel your sixth sense activate today. What you can sense is a major shift in your love life at this moment and the barely audible whispers in your heart are trying to speak to you: In order to hear them you must shut everything else off for a while.' He read to himself quietly, smirking at the idea of a major shift. It could be referring to him being alone forever more, or it could mean he was meant to find someone new.

Ever the optimist, Lenny chose to believe it was the latter. After all, it was a big world with lots of people in it. Carl who?

Sipping at his coffee, he realized how close to 8am it had become and quickly got up from his table to head to his work station and clock in for the day.

…

After only fifteen minutes at his station, Lenny was approached by Mr. Smithers who carried a clipboard in his hand.

“Lenny, I need you to show around a new guy, just for a few hours, until he gets the feel of the place. He's going to be working in this sector with you guys.”

Spinning around in his desk chair, the man gave him a thumbs up. “Sure thing, Waylon.”

“Lenny, I told you not to call me that here.”

“Oh! Right!” The brunette laughed sheepishly. “Sure thing, Mr. Waylon!”

Waylon kind of glared at him for a moment before leaving the small space. A tall, tan looking man poked his head around the corner from the hallway.

“Uh... hi there! I guess I'm... I'm supposed to work with you?”

Lenny gawked at him as he came fully inside his small control space. He was dressed in a button down red and navy colored flannel shirt, a loose black tie around his neck with some slacks and dark sneakers. His hair was long and auburn colored with a bit of a shaggy type cut to it. His smile was the thing Lenny noticed most of all.

“Uh... hello?” The man queried, peering at his slack-jawed gaze.

Lenny shot up out of his chair so fast, the thing went flying across the tile floor. He laughed self-consciously. “Uh... hello! Hi! Hi, I'm Lenny!”

“I know, he... he just said that.” The man pointed to the empty hallway, Smithers long gone. “Uh, I'm Jake. He didn't uh... he didn't introduce me.”

“Jake?”

“Yeah.”

Lenny stared at him once more, making the man feel a bit uncomfortable. “Are you okay? Do you need some help?”

Laughing a bit uproariously at the man's 'joke', Lenny shook his head. “Oh, no, I'm fine! Haha! It's uh, it's nice to meet you. So, where are you from because you, well, you don't look like anyone from around here.”

It was true. The man was easily 6'3, very strong looking and had very youngish features. He reminded Lenny of the 'brawny man' actually.

“I'm from Shelbyville.” Jake shrugged. “So, not too far away.”

“Oh. You're not one of those guys that despises Springfield are ya?”

“Nah. I never really got into the whole rivalry thing. It's a little... juvenile.”

Lenny laughed uncomfortably. “Me either! Yeah, who cares about that? Spending your time just like... planning ultimate pranks on the next town over? And like, trying to beat them at every sport. And sometimes, sneaking over there on the weekends to just like trash their water system?”

“What are you talking about?” The man blinked at him.

“Oh nothing, just... just naming things someone juvenile would do. Hey, lemme give you a tour!”

...

The day was spent helping Jake become accustomed to how things were run in Sector 7-G. The man already knew the basics of the job, he'd recently acquired his bachelor's in the field in an effort to find a new career path.

Having been a singer-songwriter for nearly a decade, Jake had found that money had begun to slow down and he was desperately in need of a change. 

Lenny spent the day enamored by the newcomer and quickly forgotten about basically everything else. He talked the man's ear off about this and that and listened intently to the man's personal stories of his family and his touring around the country.

When it came time for lunch, Lenny had expected to eat with the man in the cafeteria but he'd politely declined and explained he'd already made plans with his brother. It seemed he was visiting Springfield from Shelbyville and wanted to wish him good luck on his first day.

Finally parting ways with the man, Lenny wandered a bit down the hall and away from the entrance before beginning to skip to the cafeteria for lunch. His mind wandered about the implications of Jake's moving to Springfield at this very time in his life. He wondered if it was fate finally throwing him a bone and giving him just what he needed at this time... a new best friend.

After all, Jake was perfect to fill that slot! He was broad shouldered, broad chested, and had a winning smile. He was endlessly fascinating and could even play the guitar! Maybe he'd play him some classical gas one day if he asked nicely.

As Lenny made his way through the cafeteria doors, he found himself making a beeline for his normal table where Homer sat, not even noticing the man sitting on the opposite side.

“Hey there, Lenny! Guess what? It's macaroni and cheese day!” The bald man said happily chowing down.

“That's nice. I'll probably save my appetite for later. I think maybe Jake and I will go get a nice, big dinner together.”

“Who's Jake?” Carl asked from right beside him.

Lenny turned to look in confusion as if he hadn't seen him at all. “Oh, just this guy I know. He's so funny.”

With a pinched look, Carl tried to focus on his PB & J sandwich and said nothing.

“Yeah, Jake knows how to play guitar and even write music! He's so amazing. He decided to go get his bachelor's degree in nuclear physics! Can you believe it?” The man continued to gush to Homer.

Rolling his eyes and putting down his sandwich, Carl turned to him. “Yes, we can believe it, we all have bachelor's degrees in nuclear physics. Duh! We work in a nuclear power plant!”

Acting as if he'd heard nothing, Lenny continued on while Homer munched away at his lunch. “Oh! Also, he's got his pilot's license. So yeah, we're totally gonna take a trip around Springfield one day. He's gonna show me what it looks like from way up high in the sky!”

“Alright, that's it! Who is this guy, anyway?” Carl glared at his friend.

Homer leaned in real close to whisper to him. “Don't you know? He's Jake!”

“Homer, you don't know who Jake is.” The man replied.

Feeling self-conscious, he averted his gaze. “Yes I do.”

“No you don't! He just explained he just met him!”

Lenny whipped out his phone in order to text the man. “Oh man, I gotta send this cat meme to Jake. You guys wouldn't get it. It's a Me-n-Jake thing!”

“That's it! I'm outta here!” Carl said, skidding back his chair on the tile floor and storming out of the cafeteria. “Goodbye!'

Homer leaned in to whisper to Lenny. “I think he's jealous of us. Of us and Jake!”


	6. Honey, honey how he thrills me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honey honey, how he thrills me, a-ha, honey honey  
> Honey honey, nearly kill me, a-ha, honey honey  
> I've heard about him before  
> I wanted to know some more  
> And now I know what they mean, he's a love machine  
> Oh, he makes me dizzy  
> \--Honey, Honey by ABBA

It was Friday night and it had taken all week long but finally Lenny had been able to corner Jake and get him to agree to come out with him for some drinks and possibly some dinner. The man had begun to fit in well at the plant, making lots of friends and no longer needing Lenny's sage advice it seemed. In fact, since their first day together with him showing him around, Jake had seemed to distance himself entirely from the man.

Being the ever optimist, Lenny asserted it was just because the man was busy. No other reason.

Still, Jake had agreed finally to go out with him, get to know him a bit more. He'd reasoned that he'd like to see more of Springfield and get a feel for it. When agreeing to meet the man for drinks however, he'd failed to realize that'd mean meeting at the bar literally around the corner from the plant they worked at, a one 'Moe's Tavern'.

“So... I guess... there's not many places in town to drink?” Jake asked sheepishly as he took a seat at the bar with Lenny.

“Oh, well, there's Luigi's! They have excellent wine! But I thought we should have a few Duff's first.”

“Ah.” The man said, eyeing the frosty mug the man already had in front of him. “I... don't think I'm familiar? Is that... beer?”

“You don't know Duff?”

“'fraid not.” Jake smiled sheepishly again and shrugged.

“Oh, it's delicious! I'll get ya one, my treat!”

Before the man could refuse, Lenny began flagging down an older man who was working behind the bar who grinned as soon as he approached them with a salacious look in his eye.

“Ohhhhh, hey Lenny. Who's the new guy here, huh?” Moe asked, turning his sights on the muscular man before him.

Jake laughed nervously and held out his hand for the man to shake. “I'm uh... I'm Jake. I'm new in town.”

“I bet you are!” Moe began to laugh eyeing Lenny and the man before him repeatedly. “Well, I'll uh... get ya a Duff!”

As he headed away quickly for a mug, Jake frowned in disappointment. He really didn't care for beer and chastised himself for not being quicker to say no.

“So Jake... how's the plant been? You fitting in well?” Lenny all but purred as he scooted his bar stool closer to the man, an action that was not at all lost on the nuclear technician. 

“Uh, yeah. Pretty much. Still getting the hang of some of the controls but yeah... it's been fine.”

Lenny beamed at him as he took a large sip of his beer. “Well, you'll get the hang of things soon. Just steer clear of ol' Burnsy and you'll be alright.”

Jake peered at the man in confusion. “Oh, uh, Mr. Burns? Well, I had a meeting with him already today and he seemed rather nice.”

Laughing uproariously, Lenny nearly spilled some of his beer. “What? What do you mean? He's a greedy old man!”

Shrugging, the flannel clad man gave him a look of indifference. “Well, maybe so, I... don't know him that well yet. I just think he's a strong businessman who knows what he wants. I... I kind of look up to him in a way.”

Silence permeated between the two as Lenny stared at the attractive and yet obviously oblivious young man beside him. Deciding that maybe he was judging him too quickly, he shrugged off the comments with the thought that Jake just needed to have a few and relax a bit to show his true colors. 

As Moe hurriedly dropped two mugs of Duff between them and went back to serving other customers, Lenny raised his towards the man. “Well... here's to you getting accustomed to the Springfield way of life!”

Jake stared at him nervously before grabbing his mug and clinking it against the other's. He watched as Lenny began to quickly down the rest of his while he only took a conservative sip.

Lenny slammed his empty mug down on the bar and grabbed the fresh one Moe had brought. He turned to face Jake and frowned. “What's wrong? You don't like it?”

Jake shrugged. “It's okay... “

“It's Duff. It's... more than okay.”

“I just uh... not much of a drinker, I guess.”

Lenny cackled at the man's 'joke' and set about downing his new mug of beer. After a moment of glancing around at the rest of the tavern's patrons, his eyes settled on Jake's once more. “Hey... I'm really glad ya came here with me, ya know? Really glad... we're out together like this.” Smirking to himself and sitting up a bit straighter on the bar stool, he then leaned in conspiratorially although absolutely no one was listening in on their conversation. “I've been uh... kind of down lately. Ya know... relationship troubles. Glad I found someone like you.” He grinned at the man, placing a hand on his shoulder gently and squeezing a bit.

“Oh no... I'm not uh... I'm not gay.” Jake said, his expression turning to concern. “Not that there's anything wrong with that! I mean, I'm just... not, ya know?” He looked at Lenny worriedly as though he'd hurt his feelings somehow but the brunette was simply taken back.

He sputtered. “Wha-what?! No! I'm not! I'm not either, ya know? Why... why would you think that?”

“Well, because you're coming on to me.”

“No I wasn't!”

Jake stared at Lenny in confusion for a moment before giving him a small, apologetic smile. “Uh, look, I think I better take off anyway. It's late and I... I'm not much of a boozer, ya know?”

He gave the tavern one last look before his nose crinkled up in distaste. Jake got to his feet and put his pea coat back on, touching Lenny's shoulder reassuringly and headed towards the exit.

Lenny sat there on his bar stool and watched him go, a bit in shock and thinking that that was probably his last ever chance with the man heading straight out the door. He sighed and finished off his beer, trying to signal to Moe that he needed another when Carl happened to stroll in and take Jake's vacated stool.

“Hey Lenny... “ He said quietly, keeping his eyes averted and also trying to get Moe's attention.

Scoffing in disgust, Lenny rolled his eyes. “What do you want?”

“Nothin'. I'm just... here to have a drink. It's a free country!” Carl griped, crossing his arms over his chest as the two sat in silence.

After a moment however, he began to let a bit of the tension in his shoulders go. He turned to his best friend and sighed. “Look, I just... I came here because I assumed you'd be here, alright? And I... I wanted to talk.”

Lenny downed his beer and began to get up. “Nothin' to talk about!”

“Come on, Lenny! Don't be like this!”

“Like what, Carl Carlson?!” The man began to shout, clearly a bit tipsy from his couple of Duff's.

The tavern being as loud as it ever was, not one single patron gave the two a look.

Carl stood up as well, hoping to try to settle the man down. “Lenny, I'm sorry I've been... unavailable to you.” He hoped that was the right word. Honestly, he wasn't good at communication and had never been one for emotional and honest talks. Give him a logic puzzle to figure out, he was your guy but ooey-gooey feelings stuff? No, thank you.

Moe's still tied up with some of the other barflys otherwise he would have been all over the drama that's unfolding on their side of the tavern. He eyes the wanna-be couple's argument but focuses on shilling out mugs of Duff to the other guys.

Lenny laughs darkly, eyes momentarily seeking out the front door and remembering Jake's hasty exit only moments before. He didn't want anything to do with him. His heart drops in to his stomach at the realization. He glares at his “best friend”. “You're just jealous of Jake! You hate that he thinks I'm so funny!”

Carl glares at the man, obviously triggered by the newcomer's mention. “Lenny... no, I'm not.”

Laughing at the realization he's pushed a button, the man can't help but forcibly push it over and over. “Oh yeah, you're sooooo jealous! It's driving you mad how he's so much better than you in each and every way!”

Lenny then shoves Carl particularly hard and watches as he bumps back against the nearby tavern wall, nearly knocking down the dart board placed there. The same dart board they lovingly spent just about every Friday night playing a game or two with. 

This sudden ruckus brings Moe back to attention and he finally decides he needs to handle whatever they were shouting about.

“I don't care about him!” Carl shouts from his place against the wall, his eyes fiery and even Moe can tell he's lying from all the way back on the other side of the bar.

Chuckling darkly, Lenny felt vindication begin to surge through him. “Oh yeah? I can tell by the way you're totally freaking out on me right now!”

“Screw you, Lenny!” The man muttered darkly, taking a step closer to him so that the two were nearly chest to chest.

Moe finally broke away from the others and made his way over to the two, throwing his dish towel over his shoulder. “Alright guys, let's break it up, huh?” He gently pushed the two men apart and eyed them with concern. “We gotta uh... we gotta quiet down, alright?”

Glancing back over his shoulder at the various other men now staring at the scene, he quietly leaned in to the two. “Everyone's starin'. Why don't you take this outside... ya know, somewheres more private?”

Stepping back, the bartender was pleased to note the two both headed for the exit without complaint or incident.

Once they were gone, Moe turned to the rest of the patrons. “Alright, show's over! Who needs another Duff? Remember, if you ain't drinkin', you gettin' the hell outta here!”


	7. Could you feel the same way too?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "And you make me talk  
> And you make me feel  
> And you make me show  
> What I'm trying to conceal  
> If I trust in you, would you let me down?  
> Would you laugh at me, if I said I care for you?  
> Could you feel the same way too?  
> I wanna know  
> The name of the game"  
> -The name of the game by ABBA

Shoving the bar door open hard, Lenny quickly headed out into the night, not really aiming for a particular direction but just wanting to get away from the man in hot pursuit of him.

“Lenny! Come on, man!” Carl called from behind him, jogging to catch up.

With a huff of frustration, the man stopped and turned around to face the man vying for his attention. “What? What do you want now?”

“I just... I don't want you to be mad at me. I'm... I'm sorry.”

“You don't even know what you're sorry for! You're just saying that.” The man shrugged and tried to remember just where he'd parked.

“Look, maybe I was a little jealous. Can ya blame me? We're supposed to... hang out, not some yuppie guy from, what? Shelbyville? Is that where he's from?” The tone of his voice took on a sour note, one that Lenny could hardly blame him for. They were the worst kind of people.

He nodded in agreement, thinking back over how strange Jake actually was. He sighed, exasperated with the whole night. “Yeah, look, he wasn't... great. He wasn't what I thought. I mean, who the hell doesn't like to drink?”

Carl grinned at the man and gave him an incredulous look. “What a loser!”

“And like, he... like actually likes ol' Burnsy! What's that about?”

“Totally!”

Lenny stared at the man in frustration as he began to feel all annoyance peel away simply just from their conversation in the dark alley. Glancing up at the sky, he was pleased to see a splattering of bright stars shining bright against the backdrop of the black night sky. With the wind picking up a bit, he found himself wishing he'd brought a jacket with him though honestly, he hadn't expected to be leaving the bar so soon. At least, not alone.

“You cold?” Carl asked, noticing the way he sort of hugged his body with his arms.

“No, no, I'm fine.”

“You're cold, here, just let me-” 

Lenny watched as the man took off his own jacket and tried placing it around his shoulders, an action which he quickly sidestepped causing him to pause in surprise.

“Look, don't... rub it in, okay? Yeah, Jake sucks. You don't... have to point it out!” Lenny glared at the man, arms crossed over his chest.

“I... I thought we were agreeing? I just... I wasn't tryin' to... “ He trailed off, his coat still held tightly in his hands which he folded over and placed on his arm now instead. He stared hard at the dingy, gray bricks of the alleyway and then over at the overflowing metal garbage cans. He searched his mind for something to say to make this all go away, to make it better again.

How he wished they could just go back inside and get hammered like usual or maybe just go back to his place and...

Carl shook his head of the thoughts and looked back up at his best friend.

“You just, you always seem to think I'll always be here or somethin'. Like... like some kind of sad sack, lap dog.”

Carl's expression turned to concern and he stepped closer to the man, wincing when he stepped further back from him again. “I don't think that. Lenny... you're... my friend.”

Friend. Lenny nodded silently, staring down at his wet brown loafers. The term hurt like a knife.

He took a deep breath and glanced back up at the man. Shrugging, he spread his arms out wide in an effort to showcase his exasperation. “Well what if I don't need another friend? What if... what if I just like you? What if... I loved you?”

It was a strange thing, being here, in this damp, chilly spot outside Moe's Tavern. Having this moment happen here, happen now, it couldn't be further from what Carl had imagined in his wildest dreams.

And he had imagined it, many, many times. Typically, it would be during some lavish vacation they'd taken together, like maybe to Italy or Greece. They'd have too much to drink, too much good food and too much fun and they'd end up confessing all their feelings to each other.

The fantasy had been just that, a fantasy, never meant to be taken seriously or ever brought to light. In fact, the fantasy had ended with the two choosing to stay permanently in their vacation paradise, to forgo ever coming back to this damn town.

Carl stepped forward one more time and was encouraged by the fact that this time, Lenny did not step away. In fact, he had lowered his arms from over his chest and the guarded expression on his face was gone as well. 

He licked his lips, willing some sort of self-confidence to come about, the kind usually granted to him from the sweet, sweet taste of Duff. The number of times he had actually utilized the alcoholic courage to actually be forward with Lenny, to get closer to him... it was baffling.

Carl looked deep into Lenny's brown eyes and decided to just tell the truth for once. He smiled as he stared into them shyly. He'd always really liked the amber color they held. They were warm and calming. “Lenny... I love you too. I really always have. I just... I... I dunno, I was scared.” He shrugged, averting his gaze almost immediately, feeling entirely too uncomfortable to continue though he forced himself. He had to get everything off his chest before they were ruined.

They were Lenny and Carl and he couldn't just let that be destroyed.

Lenny gave him a skeptical look but nodded. “Go on... “

Stepping all the way up to him, Carl placed his hands on either one of his shoulders and stared into his eyes once more, imploring him. “I love you. And, I couldn't be happier that you don't just want to be friends. I was just scared before. I've... always been scared, man!”

Melting a bit now that the man was actually touching him, Lenny smiled at Carl as his heart seemed to skip a beat. “Carl... you really feel that way too? I... I thought I was just going crazy. I mean... I've liked you for so long but I thought maybe I was kidding myself.”

“No, no. I do! I just... I didn't know if I could actually act on it.”

Lenny smiled bashfully and looked away for a moment before his eyes shot back up to Carl's own dark brown ones. “I get that. I guess I don't have that problem!” Leaning in quickly, he captured the man's lips with his own, kissing him deeply. His right hand came up to entangle in Carl's hair as he moved a bit closer, trying to deepen the kiss even more. He let an amused chuckle out when Carl began to kiss him back just as passionately and he seemed to drop his jacket onto the dirty pavement below.

They stood in that back alley making out for what seems like eons, the chilly breeze no longer bothering Lenny one bit. Once they pulled away from one another, each a bit flustered and out of breath, Carl grinned down at him. “Lenny... I'm... so happy!”

Matching the man's smile with a laugh as well, Lenny threw his arms around the other man and hugged him tightly, pleased with the night's events and how they'd turned around. “Me too.” He mumbled into the man's shoulder contently.

Carl ran his hands up and down the other's back soothingly, enjoying the embrace of the man of his quite literal dreams. “Hey uh... you feel like having a few more drinks?”

Lenny broke away from the hug and grinned at him. “Sure! The night's young, right?” Glancing down at Carl's tan coat, he quickly retrieved it from the cement and shook it out just for good measure before handing it to him. 

“I mean, unless ya gotta get home and feed Sam?” Carl said, a look of worry creeping back into his features.

“Carl Carlson!” Lenny said with a small smile. “You listened!”

“Of course, I listened! I always listen to ya.”

Turning to head back towards the entrance, he laced his fingers with Carl's and gave him a reassuring look. “Sam's all set for food. I made sure before I left. Hey, maybe you can meet him later?” He said over his shoulder before they entered the tavern once more, the implication leaving Carl nice and flustered just as they stepped back inside in front of everybody.

Damn him.


End file.
